Speaking ahead of the talks, Trump gave the meeting a 75% chance of success.

The US president is set to meet Putin in Alaska, amid fears from European leaders that the Kremlin could pressure Trump into accepting a settlement unfavourable to Kyiv.

Trump, however, insisted he would be in full control of the encounter.

According to him, “I am president, and he’s not going to mess around with me. I’ll know within the first two minutes, three minutes, four minutes or five minutes whether we’re going to have a good meeting or a bad meeting.”

Trump said if the talks go badly, they will end quickly. If they go well, he expects the path to peace could emerge “in the pretty near future.”

He did not elaborate on the terms of any potential agreement.

Trump also noted that Putin is ready to strike a deal to end the war in Ukraine. He hinted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could be involved in a later meeting, potentially alongside Putin, to finalise any agreement.